Adapting Other Weapons
Once one grasps the essence of Bagua not as a form but a method of training an application, a trip to the hardware store or garden center yields a car full of possibilities to train with. That being said, rarely are they made well or balanced correctly, increasing the chance of them breaking, losing their edge or causing damage to your wrist, elbow and shoulder by being poorly weighted.
After the original fascination with turning everything into a weapon, including lead pipes and monkey wrenches, I returned to exploring the different weapons carried by Cold Steel from other cultures and time periods. These, at least, would have been designed on actual models, weighted for use as a weapon and carrying the quality of steel Cold Steel became famous for. What I found, however, was that not all products in their catalog reflect the quality of the weapons above. A good example is their naval dirk. It seemed a perfect match for a double weapon adaptation, but I gave it to my children upon opening the box. While sharp, the blade seemed visually weak, and the furnishings looked like they had come from a Michael’s Craft store. Moreover, they were poorly fitted with edges that dug into the hand. From purchasing and using their weapons for several years now, I have come to realize that their Japanese collection is impeccable for its price (while I did not place the katanas above, they make a nice change from the Nodachi or Gross Messier); the more obvious medieval blades and turn of the century cutlasses were acceptable; and their knives of every shape and size is how they built their reputation. But many other things simply seemed to be catalog fillers or appealing to collectors interested in period pieces and unconcerned with actual use.
ATS is glad to order for you any product on their site that we do not actively carry at a 30% discount from their Suggested Retail Price and provide free shipping–but buyer beware–I can only speak to the weapons I have personally spent time with. Visit their website or order their catalog and see the incredible amount of items they have. If there is something you would like to try out, we will order it in through our reseller account and then ship it straight to you. This allows us to keep our stock down and thus prices low, and it allows you to try out items at a huge mark down from what it would cost you to purchase directly. Just make sure to let us know what you thought of the item in terms of quality, adaptability, and pleasure of use. Their staggering array of inventory is beyond one person to explore completely. Through a concerted effort of serious practitioners, however, ATS could build a list of the better and worse weapons they carry here for all to benefit from.
To order a Cold Steel product not pictured here through us, simply:
- Send us an email to this address with the Item Name & Number;
- We will calculate the correct cost and send you to the Direct Payment page
- Once your order is paid for, we process your order and ship it straight to you upon arrival!